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The Government has officially started the compulsory purchase process to secure land from St. Helier for the new hospital highway – but says a negotiated deal is still possible.
A Parish Assembly last month rejected an offer of £6.5m and a “swap” for the zone currently occupied by Jersey Bowling Club for “land and equivalent facilities” at Warwick Farm, where Jersey Hemp is based.
Described by Procureurs as "reasonable", the deal also included a pledge to replace some of the lost car parking spaces (though 100 would still be lost), replacements for any trees chopped down, and replacing lost recreational facilities.
The Government will still have to honour its commitment to rehome the Jersey Bowling Club – as this was agreed by the States Assembly – but it won’t have to stick to the valuations in the original proposed deal.
Instead independent arbitrators will decide on the final price, meaning the Parish could potentially receive less - or more - money for its land than under the original deal.
The Government is also looking to purchase a driveway, strip of land and raised planter at the entrance to homes neighbouring Overdale from a private landowner.
Pictured: The land the Government wants to acquire, as detailed in the recently signed Ministerial decision. (GoJ)
Deputy Gregory Guida signed off the decision to start the forced land sale process by serving notices on the landowners in his capacity as Assistant Minister for the Environment on 21 December.
That decision, which was only made public yesterday, reads: “Most, but not all, of the land and properties required to deliver the Our Hospital project at Overdale has been acquired by agreement. Given the lapse of time since the States first authorised the assembly of the land and properties required to deliver the Our Hospital project at Overdale the Assistant Minister for the Environment has decided to give notice to commence the compulsory purchase procedure for the remaining land and properties required to deliver the Our Hospital project at Overdale as agreement has not been reached with all of the relevant owners to assemble the States’ preferred site.”
It adds that this is not the end of the road for negotiations with St. Helier and the private landowner, however, noting: “For the avoidance of doubt, it is acknowledged that agreement can be reached during the process of compulsory purchase.”
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Express spoke to one of the individuals in charge of the parish's finances about what the £6.5m deal would have meant for St. Helier, and how the compulsory purchase process would look...
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